POST-GRAD TRIP: Winter in Vancouver

Vancouver BC, Winter 2015.

It was chilly but not too cold. It was pretty gloomy for an afternoon, which wasn’t really surprising. It had been raining all day for the past weeks, but as soon as we arrived, all the water had stopped pouring, leaving us with a clear sky with a hint of sun shine.

It was by far the warmest winter ever they had said. There was no sign of snow, but being a true child of the tropics, that was clearly far from being warm for me. I got myself all covered up with layers of thick clothing, and somehow the crisp winter air still managed to break its way into my sleeves. It got worse as the night started creeping in, and the heavy wind was not such of a help either.

Although only separated by a 3-hour drive from the American border, Vancouver exhibits a whole different level of atmosphere, the one where you become one with nature. This northern side of the world holds an unfair lot of beauty that it chooses to keep for itself. It's a lot quieter, much more unoccupied. It is surrounded by trees and hills and mountains with nature at its best. A perfect place to just sit back and relax and emerge with the tranquility. In other words, a perfect place to doze off. And obviously waking up in the morning was much of a hassle to do. With the cold winter weather, it was way easier to just curl myself into a ball under the blanket than getting up early for a shower.

 

 

At night, the beauty of the city got even more irresistible. With a distant rumble of traffic in the background, city lights dominated the streets and skyscrapers, and I was left mesmerised with awe. I could just stare at the bridge and the water and the city and the sky and the stars for so long, and I couldn’t help but pressing my shutter button in repeat and made sure I got them all well-captured.

And really there was nothing at that moment that I was more grateful for than being able to travel and see myself the beauty of another side of the world. There was a sense of accomplishment when I travel, and moreover, with me just finishing another milestone of my life, there was nothing that I desired most at that moment than to celebrate the joyful occasion by traveling with my loved ones.